5 Reasons Why The Denver Nuggets Lost Against The Minnesota Timberwolves

Before the start of the year, everyone expected the Denver Nuggets to be in the NBA Finals. After all, they have the best player in the world Nikola Jokic (who won his third MVP award), and a talented supporting cast featuring Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr, and Aaron Gordon. The reigning NBA champions were supposed to dominate the West after finishing with the second seed in the regular season (57-25).

However, the 98-90 loss in Game 7 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round has raised eyebrows. What went wrong for the Nuggets? How did Jokic and Murray somehow fall to Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns after being the team to beat in the West? We have the reasons why the Nuggets collapsed against the Timberwolves.

1. Lack Of Depth

The Denver Nuggets did not have enough depth this season, and that was a worry at the start of the season after Bruce Brown and Jeff Green left the team. While Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are the ones who receive the bulk of the attention, the role players often make the difference in the playoffs. Brown and Green were critical last year, and their impact came beyond numbers.

Brown averaged 12.0 points per game in the playoffs last year and had major performances including a 21-point performance in Game 4 of the Finals. The swingman was also an elite defender who came up with timely plays again and again. Jeff Green only averaged 4.1 points per game in the playoffs, but he was another elite defender who brought veteran leadership and could be trusted to play 17.2 minutes per game in the postseason.

This year, the Nuggets did not have players on the same level as Brown and Green. Only Christian Braun, Reggie Jackson, and Justin Holiday played over 10 minutes per game in this year’s playoffs, and none of them averaged close to 10 points per game. Braun was the leading scorer off the bench, posting 5.1 points per game. That simply wasn’t going to cut it, especially since the Timberwolves have the Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid whose 11-point performance in Game 7 effectively changed the game in the fourth quarter.

2. The Starters Are Exhausted

Without trusted backups including Brown and Green, the Nuggets had to overplay their starters and it was evident that they were exhausted. For the first time since becoming the league MVP, we saw Nikola Jokic make low-IQ plays in the series against the Timberwolves. Jokic had seven turnovers in Game 1 against the Timberwolves and four in the Game 2 blowout loss.

The big man seemingly struggled to deal with the swarming defense of the Timberwolves to start the series, and even if he picked it up and dominated on the stat sheet afterward, Jokic had to carry a heavy load. He had to play 47 minutes in Game 7, only having one minute of rest because coach Mike Malone did not have a capable backup center.

Jamal Muray played 43 minutes in Game 7 and had his struggles throughout the series. He had eight points in the Game 2 blowout, avoiding suspension by throwing a heat pack on the court while he was sat on the bench. The 10-point performance in Game 6 was another example that the point guard was exhausted having to deal with Minnesota’s elite defensive players.

Aaron Gordon went over 40 minutes played twice in the series and was the key defender for the Nuggets inside the paint and on the perimeter. The forward had to play a heavy amount of minutes all year because Denver did not have enough behind him. Due to a mix of depth issues and Malone’s over-reliance on his starters, the Nuggets could not possibly have enough energy to score against the NBA’s best defense and also deal with them on defense with little rest.

3. Anthony Edwards Is The Real Deal

Anthony Edwards has arrived as one of the NBA’s best players. It might have arrived sooner than we thought because his scoring from the perimeter and also his natural leadership ability have been refreshing. In a league where players seem to make excuses and shy away from aggressiveness, Edwards has brought the old-school back. He wants to win at all costs and does it with raw passion on the court.

The shooting guard posted 27.7 points per game in the series against the Nuggets, nailing 50.0% from the field. He had some great performances including in Game 1 and Game Game 4 when he posted 43 points and 44 points respectively, but his impact came off the stat sheet. Edwards was truly an impact player, and that is summed up by his Game 7 performance. Despite scoring 16 points on 6-24 shooting, Edwards’ defense on Jamal Murray in the fourth quarter and his play off the double-teams gave Minnesota the chance to win.

Simply looking at the stat sheet does not do Edwards justice, and he was the driving force of the Timberwolves’ rise to the Western Conference Finals as the leader of the team. His killer attitude was evident throughout the series and he set the tone early in the series when Minnesota went up 2-0. Competing against Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray is never easy but Edwards held his own as the real deal right now.

4. The Timberwolves Are The Best Defensive Team In The NBA

The Minnesota Timberwolves are the best defensive team in the NBA and we saw many examples of that. They finished 1st in the regular season in OPPG (106.5) and had the four-time Defensive Player of the Year in their ranks. In Game 1 and 2, the Timberwolves were swarming the Nuggets with active hands and quick switching, leading to a quick 2-0 series lead. Their defense slacked a little bit, but they bounced back in Games 6 and 7.

The Nuggets were held to 70 points in Game 6 on 30.2% shooting from the field and 19.4% from three. These numbers are unbelievable in the modern NBA because teams simply do not defend at this level anymore. In Game 7, the Nuggets only scored 90 points and shot 24.2% from three, a testament to the Timberwolves’ quick switching ability on the perimeter. They doubled Jokic at the right moments and contested shooters well time and time again.

Rudy Gobert had his critics, and for good reason, but he had a big-time performance in Game 7. He could not stop Jokic from grabbing a monster 19 rebounds in Game 7, but he had timely blocks and his raw size made him a factor in the paint. Karl-Anthony Towns was also sensational defensively, using his body to bang with Jokic and also attack the rim on the other end. Gobert and Towns are two excellent defensive players and they led the charge in the series while Edwards, McDaniels, and Alexander-Walker did their parts on the perimeter.

5. Jamal Murray Is An Inconsistent Star

Jamal Murray was terrific in Game 7, posting 35 points and carrying them early in the game. However, there is a reason why Murray has yet to make an All-Star Team and that is down to his inconsistencies. He had 17 points in Game 1 on 6-14 shooting and followed that up with a putrid 8-point performance on 3-18 shooting in Game 2. Failing to make his mark in the first two games gave Minnesota confidence and it was an uphill battle for the Nuggets all the way through.

The Nuggets only go as far as Murray can take them, assuming Jokic will do his thing as a triple-double machine. Denver relies heavily on their point guard making shots and playing well, and when he doesn’t, they struggle to win. Murray’s 10-point performance in Game 6 was another example of the point guard having his inconsistencies, and the Nuggets lost each game where Murray played poorly. While Murray will be an untouchable piece to Denver’s roster, he needs to remain consistent for the sake of Jokic having a trusted sidekick because failure to perform dooms Denver time and time again.